Category Archives: Kidos & Families

Meet Princess Twyla!!! Oh My Goodness! How totally sweet is this little princess!? We laughed and ran all over the place for her portrait session! We dressed up, played in water and threw around a GIANT red balloon! I would say that is just about a perfect day! 😀

Could that be Twyla the Princess Fairy!? 😀

Something about this last shot just makes me smile EVERY TIME I see it! 😀

Meet Miss Ellory! We first met Ellory when she came in for her 18-Month Portrait Session! When we met at the park for her 2-Year Session I was blown away by how much she had grown! There is really a huge difference in the baby of 18-Months and the little girl of 2-Years! We had so much fun running around, finding benches to lay on and trees to climb! Could this sweet little girl get any cuter??? I don’t think so!!! 😀

Meet Andy, Megan & Stacy Wood. I have had the pleasure of knowing the Woods for about the same amount of time that they have been a Forever Family. I was so honored to be the photographer to shoot their first real family portrait! I hope you will enjoy their images as well as their adoption story!

In the summer 2007, I (Meg) read a story in the N & O about a young lady in foster care who was aging-out of the foster care system, graduating from high school, and would now be on her own because no one had stepped forward to provide her a forever family. (I believe the N & O did a series on her, following her as she moved to Charlotte, worked and tried to go to college). My heart was really moved – I could not and still cannot imagine not having a family to help me and love me. At this time also, I realized that while I wanted to be a mommy, I had no desire to be pregnant. Andy supported this decision, and we began discussing adoption.

In October 2007 we attended an information meeting sponsored by Children’s Home Society of NC (CHS), and subsequently completed their application to begin the process of foster-to-adopt. We completed our home study process by January 2008 and began the state mandated parenting classes that are required to become a foster parent. We received our foster parent license in April 2008, and we were referred for 7 to 8 children between April and November. The hardest part was the waiting after being referred. I finally asked our social worker what was going on – her response was that if we had not heard anything within a week of being referred then we were not selected to be considered parents for that child.

We were referred for Stacy in November 2008. As soon as I opened his profile and saw his smile I knew I was his forever mommy and he was our forever boy. I quickle emailed our social worker and said yes refer us. Soon after (right) before Thanksgiving I received an email for me to contact Stacy’s social worker and tell her why our family should be chosen to be Stacy’s family. What a wonderful phone call – I was nervous and remember rambling but what a great call.

We met Stacy the Wednesday after Thanksgiving 2008 and Stacy came to live with us 2 days after Christmas. It was a whirlwind month of preparing. There was a lot nervousness driving to pick him up, but he adjusted just fine.

Our adoption was finalized July 27, 2009 – we were able to choose the day. Stacy turned 4 shortly after that and the rest has been one crazy ride. Stacy knows he’s adopted, and proudly owns that fact. We are a forever family.

Andy and Megan got married almost exactly a month after Michael and I did… and they never received their wedding pictures! So, we had to end the session with a few pictures of the two of them! 😀

We had a terrific day hangin’ out with Cathy and Stefanie. Originally, Cathy called me to schedule a Senior Portrait Session for Stefanie who will officially graduate this weekend! 😀 They decided to go ahead and do a few family pictures of the two of them since the last ones they have are about 13 years old!!! A closer knit Mother and Daughter you have never seen in real life! They truly are the REAL Gilmore Girls!!!